The Soup Queen

Each Sunday I try to find a new herbal recipe to test. I love my Sundays when I lounge at home, listening to the jazz channel and sipping homemade herbal tea while reading. Today I dug out some wolfberries or "kei chi" or goji berries from the fridge. I am usually running out of space in my fridge because all my herbs go into the fridge. In this tropical weather, herbs will either dry out or go mouldy if you keep them too long in the cabinets. One distinct way to know if your wolfberries are deteriorating is to see their bright red colour becoming a dull, dirty red. That's why you know your wolfberries can go into the compost bin! (Or maybe you can stick them into some soil and grow your own goji berry plants. I might try this though finding available space in my already thriving garden can be tough!) This packet of wolfberries is considered Super Grade because each wolfberry is larger than regular itty bitty ones you see in most pre-packed herbal soup packets. My r...

This is a quick variation of the wai san porridge which I make all the time. One of the reasons is that wai san porridge is a great recipe when you are strapped for time. Second of course is that wai san (I'm talking about fresh wai san in this case) is soothing for the stomach. Basically, you can find wai san (or hwai san or chinese wild yam ) in the wet market or supermarket. I've seen it sold in Tesco too sometimes. It is usually a long, brown root covered in soil. Once you peel off the brown exterior, you will find the inside white like a yam bean /jicama/ mengkuang. Be careful though when slicing the wai san. It emits goo so it gets slimy. I suggest you wash the wai san after you've peeled off the skin and start slicing as soon as you can. The usual way of getting wai san is from your herbal shop where it is in dried form. It is usually white and dehydrated. In both forms, either fresh or dried, wai san promotes urination, lowers blood pressure, lowers blood sugar, is ...

Here's a quickie soup for those of you pressed for time (aren't we all? Sometimes I think we're like ants. Busy busy and busier!) Melon, Kei Chi and Carrot Soup is my invention but it tastes pretty good I must say! I made it two nights ago, after a long day at work. But the beauty of this soup is that it takes all of 30 minutes or less to boil and you can get instant soup (my other instant soup lifesaver is instant miso which I dump into hot water, add some tofu cubes and spring onions and I am ready to go. But that's another story for another day, ya?) Melon, Kei Chi and Carrot Soup You need: 1 small melon (you know the fat, green ones - peel skin and cube, with seeds on. Do not throw away the seeds.) 1/2 a carrot, cubed or sliced, up to you 1 tablespoon kei chi/wolfberries, soaked in water to hydrate 1/2 cup minced pork, marinated with 1 tsp cornflour, some salt and pepper and some sesame oil 1 liter water 2 cloves garlic, smashed with back of a cleaver 1 slice ginge...